One well known form of an evaporative air conditioner utilises a blower contained within a box-like structure having four sides at least one of which contains a pad assembly in which there is contained fibrous absorbent material, there being a water distribution conduit located at the top of the pad for distributing water over and through the pad, the blower drawing air inwardly through the wetted absorbent material contained in the pad which is designed to provide a large surface area for evaporation of the water which is distributed therethrough. One of the main practical difficulties encountered with this type of conditioner has been attributed to the nonuniform distribution of water through the fibrous absorbent material of the pad assembly. In an attempt to resolve this problem, the water distribution conduit was provided with a plurality of apertures spaced along the length thereof; however, under certain circumstances, the apertures become ineffective or only partially effective, for example through the conduit not being horizontal, the water supply having insufficient pressure, or corrosion of the metal surrounding the apertures (in the case where the conduit is formed of metal), as a result of which the apertures may become blocked or partially blocked. It is well known that in the event of blockage of the apertures in the water distribution conduit, the efficiency of the air conditioner is seriously impaired.
A further difficulty associated with prior art air conditioner assemblies has been in the assembly of the component parts of the cooler, and in particular the problem of locating and fitting the water distribution conduit in its correct position in the cooler body has always been a prominent one.